xii, 240 pages : 25 cm

Includes index

The determining factors in piano technique : 1. Music, motions and emotions : Modification of sound and human emotions ; Composer, performer, listener ; Coordination, independence, and interdependence ; Force of gravity and the muscles ; Pressure, weight and stress ; Tone quality -- 2. The piano : The most complete instrument ; Forerunners of the piano ; Transcriptions and ornamentation ; The hand's reach ; Sound production ; Volume and tone quality -- 3. The human performing mechanism : Coordination of the small and large muscles ; Extensors, flexors, biceps, and triceps ; Fingers, hand, forearm, and upper arm ; The shoulder ; Torso, back and chest muscles, and the diaphragm ; Sitting positions ; The feet and the bench -- Basic technical patterns : 4. Free fall : Gravity and our muscles ; The role of weight ; Lifting, drop, landing, and rebound ; guidelines, exercises, and examples -- 5. Five-fingers, scales, and Arpeggios : Anatomy of the fingers and thumb ; Horizontal and vertical adjusting motions ; Use of the thumb ; The upper arm and body ; Shifting in arpeggios ; Note groupings and legato ; Use of the damper ; Phrase endings ; Guidelines, exercises, and examples -- 6. Rotation : Anatomy of the forearm ; Pronation and supination ; Axial rotation ; Fingers, forearm, and elbow ; Lateral motions ; Guidelines, exercises, and examples -- 7. Staccato : The "wrist" staccato ; Roles of the fingers, hand, forearm, and upper arm ; Lift and rebound ; White and black keys ; Staccato and legato octaves ; Guidelines, exercises, and examples -- 8. Thrust : Thrust versus free fall ; When to use thrust ; Guidelines, exercises, and examples -- 9. Summary of the basic technical patterns : Five motion patterns and the score ; The slur as modifier of technique ; The wrist and phrasing ; Variety in the application of staccato ; The trill -- Technique becomes music : 10: Identification and application of the basic technical patterns : Symbols for the five basic motions; wrist positions and touch forms ; Skill and artistry ; How to play the exposition of Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata ; A variant of a familiar basic motion -- 11. Independence and interdependence : The goal: coordination, not muscle building ; The principal adjusting motions ; Active and passive motions ; Finger exercises ; The human warning system -- 12. The pedals : Evolution of the pedal ; Pedal nomenclature ; Uses of the three pedals ; Pedal markings ; Partial pedals and the pedal tremolo ; The pedal in Baroque and pre-Baroque music ; Combining pedals ; The ear as master -- 13. Singing tone : The expressive capability of the piano ; The role of the equipment ; Cushioning or pressure ; The piano as "love object" ; The shoulders and the role of weight -- 14. Practicing : Mechanical versus conscious practicing ; Varying rhythmic patterns ; Slow practice ; Metrically uneven practice ; The conscious, subconscious, and automatic centers ; Creativity ; Mental practice -- 15. Memorization : Why memorize? ; When to memorize ; Visual, acoustic, motoric, and intellectual memory ; Memory slips -- 16. Musical diction : The language of music ; Upbeats and downbeats ; Means of emphasis ; Flexibility ; Crescendos ; The "negative" emphasis" ; Ornamental passages ; Appoggiaturas and grace notes ; Ritardando and accelerando ; The intangibles ; Tension and release ; The piano as orchestra ; The human voice ; Singing tone at any cost? ; Rubato ; The fermata ; Slurs ; National and regional characteristics -- 17. Public performance : Performance: the ultimate issue ; The performer as teacher ; The expected and the unexpected at concerts ; Physiological and psychological factors ; Establishing the right tempo ; The telling pause: on stage and in the recording studio ; Criteria for recordings versus live performances ; The audiovisual film -- 18. Mannerisms and excess energy : Mannerisms: manifestations of excess energy as a gauge of well- or malfunctioning technique ; Spontaneous and cultivated mannerisms ; "Showmanship" ; The value of slow, flexible movements ; A mannerism sampler ; "Yes-yes" and "No-no" ; Walking off stage ; Beware of excess energy!

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews